Devices for the release of solutions or gels suitable for washing hands are present in several public places in addition to domestic environments. It is an increasingly common practice to fill common liquid soap dispensers with products containing disinfecting substances, for example having antiseptic properties, in order to get an improved protection in crowded or high-transit public places (airports and train stations, highway service stations, theatres, cinemas and venues for sports events). Alternatively, disinfecting solutions are provided in disposable soaked tissues, with the inconvenience of involving a waste product that needs to be subsequently dumped. Although useful, gels and solutions of common use do not offer a wide-spectrum protection. Broad spectrum antiseptic agents known in the art are, in fact, characterised by an excessive cost or by an insufficient or scarcely reproducible shelf-life. While in many cases the protection provided by a normal antibacterial product may be considered acceptable, there are other environments where a broader spectrum protection would be highly desirable, also for the sake of preserving public health. For example, this is the case with hospitals or clinics where expensive specific products are commonly used, but also with places where food is processed (e.g. kitchens of public restaurants, butcheries, bakeries and confectioneries) or distributed (e. g. canteens and restaurants).
The need for providing an efficient and economical system for hand disinfection in a wide range of environments has been hence identified.